In the Eye of the Beholder
by Emi-Lynn
Summary: An accident reveals a truth two men are hiding and Gibbs learns a valuable lesson.   Established McNozzo.
1. Chapter 1

**a/n - This is my contribution to the annual WEE writing event. I didn't plan on doing one this year because of my schedule, but one of our writers died suddenly a few weeks ago and under the circumstances I offered to fill in. First five chapters are done, the entire story has to be finished by the end of the month, so I will be posting every day until it's done. Then I can back on other stories.**

In the Eye of the Beholder

"Mmm, morning." Tim smiled and kissed the warm skin he'd been using as a pillow. "You want the first shower or the extra sleep?" For an answer, his bedmate's head burrowed under the pillow, making Tim laugh. "Okay, sleep it is."

Ten minutes later, when McGee came out of the bathroom wrapped in a towel, the lump in his bed hadn't moved. Jethro sat patiently at the door, his tail softly thumping against the carpet. Grinning, Tim jerked his head and the dog happily trotted to the bed and started tugging on the blankets.

"Damn it, Jethro." Sleepy green eyes opened as hands scrambled for the vanishing warmth. "Whose bright idea was it to teach him that?"

"That would be yours, Tony." Laughing softly, Tim started digging through the dresser. "Remember, when Ziva's apartment was being painted and she spent the weekend with us?"

"Well, it was funny then." Giving up control of the blankets, Tony rolled onto his back, rubbing his face. "Today's gonna to suck."

"Why, because the FBI has the lead on the surveillance detail or because Fornell has us stuck riding bikes in the park until the suspect shows up, if he shows up?"

"It's going to be in the nineties today." Tony's voice trailed off as Tim turned towards him, dropping the towel, leaving him naked except for the small gold medallion around his neck. The older man perked up at the view as other parts of his body registered their approval. "Of course it does mean an entire day of staring at your butt."

Tim turned back around and wiggled his rear end as he held up a pair of skin tight bike shorts. "Be glad it's hot, otherwise I couldn't justify wearing these."

That got Tony up and out of bed, his own matching necklace catching the morning sun. He snagged the shiny fabric out of McGee's hand. "When did you get these? I know I've never seen them before."

"Why do you think I offered to make the lunch run yesterday?"

Tony laughed as he moved in for a kiss. "You sly dog, McSexy. For that, I'm treating you to breakfast this morning."

"Oh, a smoothie from Litestars would be perfect. Better get one for Ziva, too. She's paring up with Sacks today for us, so we owe her."

Her dislike of Sacks was almost as strong as Tony's. "We owe her big time."

-NCIS-

Separate cars and the stop for breakfast smoothies had Tony arriving at the Yard about twenty minutes after McGee, which was their usual gap. Grinning at the pretty brunette in the lobby, he managed to duck into an elevator with Palmer before she could move too close. "Good morning, Jimmy."

"Good morning, Tony." Jimmy waited until the doors closed, giving them some privacy. "Isn't your anniversary coming up soon? Have you decided what you're getting him?"

"Not yet, I'd love to surprise him with a real honeymoon, but..."

"But how do you explain to Agent Gibbs why you both are taking vacation at the same time? Maybe it's time you told him." Jimmy knew it was a continuing disagreement between the two men, the only thing they really ever argued about.

Tony shook his head. "We can't take the risk. You and Ziva have been great, but the Boss... Gibbs could transfer one of us half way across the world, and Abby..."

Understanding that problem, Jimmy finished his sentence. "Abby wouldn't be able to keep a secret like that from Gibbs." The elevator arrived at the squad room and they separated. Before walking to the back elevator, Jimmy watched as Tony slipped on the playboy persona everyone expected and started to flirt his way across the room.

"Here you go, Ziva, one mango berry smoothie." With a flourish, he set the large cup on her desk, leaning forward to whisper in her ear. "Thanks for taking on Sacks for us."

She glanced around, but no one was paying attention. "We cannot have you in jail for murder on your anniversary, can we? I will enjoy keeping Agent Sacks in line." Ziva leaned back and took a sip just as Gibbs walked in with a coffee and a bad mood.

"We're meeting the FBI in less than an hour, where in the hell is McGee?"

"Here, Boss." McGee arrived from the other direction, his hands full of electronics. "Got the cameras and equipment all ready to go."

"Good." Gibbs looked over the three of them. Ziva was wearing cargo shorts and a tank top, while DiNozzo was in basketball shorts and an old college t-shirt. Across from them, Tim was wearing sweat pants and a baggy shirt. "Gonna be pretty warm today, McGee."

The younger man tugged at the waistband of his sweats just enough to show a second, snugger, waistband. "Layers, Boss, I'll be fine."

-NCIS-

Despite the use of bicycles, the surveillance detail was pretty standard. McGee and DiNozzo patrolled on sleek touring bikes through the paths that crisscrossed the roads on the north end of the park, while Ziva and Ron Sacks rode mountain bikes in the more rugged and remote southern region. Gibbs and Fornell were each dressed as rangers as they drove around in Park Service trucks, checking in with both teams when and if it was needed.

After the routine was established and the sun had burned through the morning clouds, Tim stopped long enough to shed the sweats and loose shirt. Since they wouldn't activate the cameras until they spotted some activity, Tony enjoyed the view. The compressive fabric of the shorts and shirt left little to the imagination, showing the lean muscles his lover had developed during his weight loss.

Alone for the moment, Tim made sure Tony had a good view as he folded his outer clothes and shoved them in the right hand bag attached to the bike, the left being reserved for his weapon and badge. "Like what you see?"

"Damn, what are you wearing under that?"

"Nothing." Tim turned around just in time to see Tony pull his sunglasses down to look closer. "Built-in pouch to keep the boys in place, special fabric to wick away moisture and prevent – chafing."

"Yeah?" A lazy grin spread over DiNozzo's face. "Well, I think I'll be checking tonight, just to make sure it did its job."

Tim flashed him a bright smile as he swung back onto the bike. "I'm counting on it."

-NCIS-

By mid-afternoon, even the view of Tim's well shaped ass couldn't totally outweigh the toll of six hours on a bike and Tony was glad for the interruption when Gibbs was parked at one of the spots the road crossed the bike path. Tim still in front, they stopped next to the green truck.

"Here."

Tony caught the cold water bottle that was tossed to him before Gibbs turned his attention to McGee, raising an eyebrow as he tossed the second bottle. "Last layer?"

It took Tim a minute to realize Gibbs was talking about his clothes and he blushed as he fumbled with the water bottle. "Umm, yeah, they're designed for long distance riding." Flustered, he tilted his head back and started swallowing down the refreshing drink. Behind him, Tony was, once again, enjoying the view as Tim's throat worked. With Tim twisted around to face the truck, Tony could not only see the subtle shaping of his narrow waist, but his package, held firmly in place by the compression shorts.

Gibbs rolled his eyes at the younger man. He hid his body well in the clothes he usually wore to work, for which Gibbs was grateful. If some of the women at the Yard could see him like this, DiNozzo would have some serious competition as most desired bachelor. Fornell's voice crackled over their earpieces.

_Suspect's been spotted in the parking area adjoining the playground. All units move in now._

Gibbs bit back a curse as as he cranked the steering wheel hard to the left and floored the engine, throwing up a spray of gravel. Tony instinctively threw his hands up to protect his face and watched in horror as the extended bumper on the heavy park services truck caught the rear wheel of McGee's bike, cartwheeling him over the guardrail.

"Tim!" Tony got one quick glance at the terrified face before McGee tumbled backwards down the slope, his yell suddenly cut off. Frantic as he tried to follow Tim's path through the thick underbrush, Tony was half way down the hill before he remembered to key the mike for the right frequency. "Agent down, we have an agent down, Miller Creek Bridge."

"… again... say again... breaking..."

Tony grabbed at a nearby tree to keep his knees from buckling. He knew the further down he went, the worse the reception would be. He needed to get to Tim, but he needed to get help on the way, too. There was no way Gibbs would have felt the impact, and focused on the children that could possibly become hostages, he probably never looked in his rear-view mirror while pulling away from them. Tim's best chance was for Tony to climb back up and summon all the help they would need. Angrily scrubbing at the tears that blurred his vision, Tony reversed his path.

It took far too long for the dispatcher to be sure of their location. She urged Tony to stay where he was, but he wasn't going to back down. "No, I've got to find my partner. Tell the rescue team that we're below the bicycles." Ignoring her arguments, he climbed back over the railing and Tim's bike to continue down the hill.

It didn't take long to be out of sight of the roadway, but Tony kept going, following the broken branches straight down. "Tim? Come on, Tim, answer me. Where are you?" Just as he was about to start working his way down the canyon, he saw a hand under some shrubbery.

Tony didn't even feel the bark tear at his skin as he scrambled over a fallen log. Tim's body was unnaturally still and twisted, his lower body submerged in the creek, the only movement his slowly blinking eyes. "Tim, can you hear me?" Tony dropped down next to his life partner, touching his limp hand. "Help's on the way, just try not to move. Where does it hurt?" The answering voice was so weak he could barely hear it.

"My neck, I can't feel anything else, Tony."


	2. Chapter 2

**a/n - Glad to see you guys like this one. Lots of alerts and reviews, you guys make my day.**

Chasing their suspect through the heavy underbrush, Gibbs was grateful they'd been able to cut off his access to the playground. In the distance he heard helicopters, but was too busy tackling the man to the ground. He turned to hand the cuffed man off to DiNozzo, but it was a strange FBI agent panting beside him and Gibbs remembered that he'd left his two men far behind, and on bicycles. It took a minute to remember who this red-faced man was. "You want to take him, Jackson?"

Brian Jackson had heard stories about Gibbs, but had laughed them off. Now he wasn't so sure. Gasping and wheezing, he was dreading the long walk back to where they'd left the vehicles. Not even bothering to raise up, he gave a slight wave with the one hand he could lift off his knees. "Nah, you caught him, he's all yours."

Smirking, Gibbs started back towards where he'd left the truck, dragging his prisoner with him.

-NCIS-

"Here, we're down here." Tony felt helpless as all he could do was move out of the way and let the paramedics take care of Tim. Working with an obvious sense of urgency, they wrapped a brace around his neck before strapping him to a board. It was only then that they took the time to start an IV drip before starting the long journey back up the hill. Several FBI agents arrived the same time as the helicopter, their presence reminding Tony to secure his and Tim's weapons with them before climbing into the helicopter ordering the pilot to take McGee to Bethesda.

-NCIS-

Fornell was waiting when Gibbs arrived back at the truck, both the suspect and the other agent staggering to keep up. A jerk of the balding head and two more agents moved up to take custody of the prisoner. Once the transfer was made, Fornell didn't waste any time. "I don't know the details yet, but McGee's been airlifted to Bethesda. DiNozzo didn't say anything, just handed over their weapons before he got on the chopper with him."

Ziva and Sacks arrived as Fornell was talking, and Ziva dropped her bike to the ground as she joined Gibbs. "How badly is McGee injured? Was Tony hurt?"

"Like I was telling Gibbs, I don't know much." Fornell shook his head. "All I know is that DiNozzo seemed fine and it was only one bike that was damaged. My guys are thinking it was a hit and run. They've got the scene secured and an incident reconstruction team is on their way. Go on, get out of here and check on your man. Paperwork can wait."

Gibbs gave a short nod and headed for the truck, Ziva at his heels. Sacks turned to Fornell in disbelief, but Fornell cut him off. "Until Gibbs knows the kid's going to be all right, it's not worth it. Besides, which member of that team actually makes the paperwork clear enough for us to use?"

"Good point."

-NCIS-

"Well?" Tony was on his feet before the doctor was completely through the door.

"Agent DiNozzo, I'm Dr. Jason Elby."

"How is he? He was getting some feeling back in the helicopter, that's good, right?"

Elby sighed. The painful tingling could be a good sign, but he didn't want to give the man too much hope until they knew for sure. He took Tony's elbow and lead him to a group of chairs in a quiet corner of the waiting room "I understand that you have Agent McGee's medical proxy?"

"That's right." Tony sat, but he couldn't keep his knee from bouncing.

"Agent McGee has suffered a cervical fracture..."

"Damn it." Tony bowed his head as he struggled to reign in his emotions. As long as he hadn't heard the words, he could convince himself that Tim had not broken his neck in the fall.

The neurologist knew what was going through Tony's mind and rushed to continue. "The good news is that the fracture is relatively stable and his spinal cord appears to be intact."

Tony latched onto that bit of good news. "But the paralysis and the loss of feeling?"

"Spinal shock and bruising is common with injuries like this. Our main concern at the moment is to limit the swelling because pressure against the spinal cord will be the greatest cause of a permanent deficit. The injury is high enough on his spine that it could affect his ability to breathe."

The image of Christopher Reeves immediately flashed through Tony's mind as he teared up. "You're saying that he could end up a quadriplegic and on a respirator?"

"It's a possibility." Seeing the pain on Tony's face, Dr. Elby rushed to reassure him. "It's also a possibility that in a few weeks he'll walk out of here under his own power. Chances are that his prognosis is somewhere in between."

The trembling hand that rubbed across Tony's face was the final clue Elby needed. "You have his medical proxy, which is all we need, legally, but we have a very long road ahead of us. Am I speaking to Tim's friend, or his spouse?"

This time Tony couldn't blink fast enough and he brushed away a tear. "Our... our first anniversary is next month. God, this can't be happening."

Elby laid a hand across Tony's shoulder. "I assume you and he are not out at work?"

"No." Tony gave a shaky laugh. "Only two people know about us. You don't know how hard that is at times."

"Actually, I do." Jason bend down enough to look Tony in the eye. "My life partner's name is Scott and someday very soon the Navy will let me say that in public." The relief and gratitude he saw on the other man's face told Elby that he'd made the right decision.

Tony took a deep breath and sat up straighter as he visibly pulled himself together. "Okay, so what happens now? How do you prevent the swelling from doing any more damage?"

"He'll be placed in the intensive care unit. We've already started him some very strong steroids to counter the swelling and we're going to put him in a medically induced coma for at least a few days."

"A coma?"

"The less strain on his nervous system the better. He'll be on a ventilator to support him if he does lose the ability to breath on his own." Dr. Elby could see the fear on DiNozzo's face. "Come on, you can be with him while we get everything prepped. The two nurses that are in with him are very good at respecting a patient's privacy."

-NCIS-

Leaving Fornell and Sacks in a cloud of dust, Gibbs sped down the road towards Bethesda with Ziva quietly sitting next to him. "Get me some answers."

She nodded, deciding to try dispatch first. Ziva could only imagine what Tony was feeling if McGee was seriously injured and what she wanted to say to him could not be said with Gibbs next to her. After a brief discussion with the dispatcher, Ziva was able to get an update from the team at the scene of the accident before closing her phone and turning back to Gibbs.

"It appears he was hit by a car. The agent I spoke with believes that the impact was enough to knock him over a railing. From there he fell down a steep embankment approximately seventy five feet before landing in a creek bed. He..." Ziva's voice wavered for a second before she forced herself to continue. "He did not drown because his upper body was not in the water."

Gibbs was trying to imagine the scene. "Was he unconscious?"

Ziva stared at the passing trees, refusing to show her fear to Gibbs. "No, the paramedics called it in as a suspected broken neck with major loss of function."

There was no verbal response, but she heard a fist hitting the door as their speed increased.

-NCIS-

Trying to remember everything he learned in college about the human nervous system, Tony let himself be led to the small room that held his life. "Tim, oh God, Tim."

Over the last few hours the scrapes and bruises had become more evident, but what struck Tony the most were the heavy sandbags that surrounded Tim's shoulders and head, preventing even the slightest bump of the bed from transferring to his badly injured neck. He was naked under the thin sheet, the clothes he'd been teasing Tony with only hours earlier, sliced away and tossed in a corner. Before Tony could ask about the necklace that was missing from his bare chest, Dr. Elby laid an envelope in his hand.

"Here, this seems to mean a lot to Agent McGee. I'm sure he'd be more comfortable with you holding onto it."

Tony could feel the chain and metal disc through the thin paper and pressed it against his own chest, remembering the early Fall morning when he and Tim had pledged to love forever and exchanged the symbols of their love, each engraved with a reminder of the other man.

"It'll be back where it belongs soon, Tim, I promise." Tony leaned close to hear the weak voice.

"I'm scared, Tony."

"Me too." Ignoring the nurses, he first kissed Tim's forehead. "It's going to be okay." His left brow. "You're going to be all right." His right brow. "We're going to get through this."

"Promise... promise me you'll be here when I wake up?" On Tim's side, Dr. Elby injected the needed medication into his IV.

Tony gently kissed Tim's lips. "I promise. Wild horses couldn't keep me away." He watched as the beloved green eyes started to lose their focus. "I promise." He pressed his lips against the now slack lips one more time. "I love you, Tim."

Eventually, Tony straightened up, still clutching the envelope to his chest as he wiped his eyes with his other hand. Jason reached out and touched his arm. "It will take a few hours to get him settled up in the ICU. This would be a good time to take a break, get cleaned up and get yourself something to eat."

"Yeah, yeah, okay." Tony glanced down at the dirty and torn clothes he was wearing and the tangle of leaves caught in his shoelace. "I'm probably scaring the natives."

He turned away from the bed to look up into a pair of shocked blue eyes.

"Boss?"


	3. Chapter 3

a/n - I will be painting a 96 foot moon over the weekend, and I'm not sure how much internet service I'll have, but I'll post when I'm able and catch up when I get back. Yeah, 96 feet. My daughter told me that the "S" on my forehead actually stands for "Sucker" instead of "Superwoman", but it for the kids so what can I say.

Cutting across the parking lot, Gibbs pulled the truck into the first empty space he found. Ziva was out of the truck before he had it in park, but with his longer legs Gibbs was able to catch up with her before she made it to the door.

Badge held up over his head, Gibbs didn't even slow down as he passed the check-in desk for the emergency room. "Agent Timothy McGee, what room is he in?"

Responding to the command voice, the nurse at the desk barked out the room number before she even realized who she was speaking to. Immediately, she was on her feet, protesting, but Gibbs was through the doors, Ziva still at his heels.

"She can have us kicked out."

"She has to catch us first, Ziva." Gibbs was looking for the room number, partially hidden by the portable x-ray machine, when he spotted a familiar back, bent over a bed. Before Gibbs could make his presence known, Tony bent further and began to pepper McGee's face with soft kisses.

Gibbs froze in shock. "What the hell?" Before he could wrap his mind around what he was looking at, Tony turned around, an envelope clutched against his heart.

"Boss?"

Ziva recognized the fear on Tony's face and grabbed Gibbs' arm. She might not be able to stop him, but she could slow him down. The staring contest was broken, however, when Dr. Elby stepped in between the two men.

"Whoever you are, if you are a threat to my patient or to Agent DiNozzo, I will have security remove you."

The threat was enough of a shock to Gibbs to break him out of his stupor. "Are you an idiot, DiNozzo, or do you have some sort of explanation as to why you were kissing your teammate?"

"Boss..."

"Rule 12, DiNozzo, did you even think about what you were doing before you decided to tear the team apart with your little romp?"

"Boss, this isn't the way I wanted to come out to you, but..."

Gibbs shoved his free hand through his hair in frustration. "Damn it, Tony, I don't care if you're gay, but what's going to happen to McGee in a month when you dump him?"

"Don't you dare." Tony's anger was instant and white hot. "You can say what you want about me, but don't ever even suggest that my relationship with Tim is something that I'd just walk away from." Stepping around Elby, Tony was in Gibbs' face, shaking with anger as he pointed back to McGee's unconscious form. "Especially not now, because you did this." Unable to say anymore, he shoved past Gibbs and stormed down the hall, disappearing around the corner.

"I did this? What is he talking about?" Gibbs let Ziva pull him away from the room, the opposite direction from where Tony had gone. It wasn't until he had spent some time pacing in the waiting area that he stopped, staring at her. "You knew. DiNozzo and McGee, you knew about them."

"Yes, I did." She gave him a hard look. "In fact, I stood with them at their commitment ceremony."

"They're married?" Gibbs' voice raised almost a full octave as his eyes widened. "When?"

-NCIS-

Tony found a restroom and gratefully slipped in, locking the door behind him. Only in the privacy of the tiny room did he allow the tears come. Leaning against the door he tore open the envelope and pulled out Tim's commitment necklace. "Timmy, I'm not leaving you, no matter what. We're going to find a way to get through this, with or without Gibbs' support."

Decision made, he kissed the front side of the gold medallion and moved to the sink. Laying it on the shelf, he washed away the evidence of his breakdown as he thought through his options. He had quite a bit of vacation time saved up, in addition to unused leave time. He'd use that time to stay with Tim as much as possible. Now that they'd been outed, there was no reason to keep up the illusion of separate lives. He could officially fill out a change of address with the agency and let his empty apartment go. Not having to pay for the apartment would free up enough money to pay for whatever modifications their home needed. Luckily, even though it was a two story house with a basement, there was one room on the main floor that could be converted back into a bedroom. However, if Tim would be permanently in a wheelchair, then the doorways would need to be widened and at least one of the bathrooms modified. Under different circumstances they could have asked Gibbs for his help, but he wasn't sure that would be an option any time soon.

Wanting to get it over with, Tony dried his face before wrapping the chain of Tim's necklace around his fingers and leaving the bathroom. He paused at the doorway, staring at the now empty treatment room, before lengthening his stride to take him to the waiting room. He was pretty sure that Ziva was defending them and as he came through the door, he discovered that he was right. Tony listened as their friend told of their ceremony and saw the shock on Gibbs' face at the discovery. He reached them just as Gibbs recovered enough to ask when that had happened.

"After Somalia." Gibbs and Ziva both turned around as Tony's voice came from behind them. "We've been together since Jenny died, but after we almost lost Ziva, we needed to say the words to each other. Even if it was just the two of us and our two closest friends, so Ziva and Jimmy went with us and we rented a cabin in Connecticut."

Tony dropped down into one of the chairs, staring at the necklace in his hand. "We didn't have a wedding because there would have been legal records, but it was still real to us, Boss. It took a long time to find the right words, but he wears my promise against his heart and I wear his." With his free hand, Tony pulled his own necklace out from under his shirt.

"May I?" Gibbs held his hand out and after a slight hesitation, Tony dropped Tim's necklace into his palm. The gold chain was sturdy and flat, easily hidden under a shirt, and long enough to not show through an open collar. A gold disc, engraved on both sides, hung from the chain. One side was an eagle, similar to the one found on the Marine Corps symbol. Sweat from being worn against the body showed that this was the back side. When he turned it over, and Gibbs saw the lip marks, he felt like a voyeur as he tried to read the words without his glasses.

As angry and hurt as he was at the man, Tony still had to bite back a smile as Gibbs slowly leaned back in an obvious attempt to bring the small letters into focus. Taking pity on him, he recited the words from memory. "'The sun at home warms better than the sun elsewhere'. It's an Albanian Proverb. I wanted him to always remember that nothing out there will ever mean more to me than the fact that at the end of the day, he's the one I come home to."

Gibbs was beginning to understand as he gave it back. "Because in order to keep your relationship hidden, you have to still flirt and chase women."

"Yeah, and it sucks, but we couldn't risk you separating us."

"Fair enough." Gibbs had more questions but before he could ask any of them, Tony held up his own necklace.

"This one says 'Sometimes the heart sees what is invisible to the eye.' It's a quote from some guy named H. Jackson Brown. He writes those inspirational books Tim's always reading or listening to. Tim..." Tony's voice broke and he struggled to continue. "He wanted me to always remember that he knows that inside, I'm so much more than the clown most people see."

Up until then Ziva had been listening quietly, letting Tony decide how much to tell Gibbs, but now she moved next to him, wrapping her arms around him. "He is going to be all right, Tony."

"I hope so, Zee." Dropping the necklace back inside his shirt, Tony buried his face against her shoulder, slightly muffling his words. "He was scared, and so am I. He broke his neck, his damn neck. He could end up a quadriplegic and dependent on a respirator for the rest of his life."

She started rubbing his back. "What have the doctors told you?"

"Right now his spinal cord is still intact, but the swelling from the injury will damage the cord if they can't stop it. They... they are giving him steroids and they put him in a coma."

"Tony, can you tell me what happened?" The earlier accusation was still ringing in his ears as Gibbs imagined the two men trying to keep up with the truck while on their bikes.

Dropping Tim's necklace over his head to join the one he wore, Tony straightened up. "When you left us, did you look in your rear view mirror even once? Do you have any clue what you did?" The devastated look on Tony's face told Gibbs even more than his words.

"Both you boys were on my right side and I pulled out to the left." Gibbs tried to reconstruct the moment in his head. "I'm sure the side mirror didn't hit him."

"Not the mirror, Boss, it was the bumper. The edge of that big utility bumper caught his wheel and flipped him over the railing. He never stood a chance."

"No." Gibbs was instantly on his feet, shaking his head. "I can't have been the one that... it was... Tony, I..." Stumbling, Gibbs turned towards the door. "I need..."

Gibbs didn't slow down until he'd reached the truck. Leaning heavily against the dark green metal, he slowly walked down the side towards the rear bumper. The aftermarket bumper stuck out a foot further than a stock bumper and was designed to carry specialized gear and a second winch. It was covered in a layer of dirt except for the narrow fresh scrapes on the right corner, fitting perfectly with DiNozzo's version of the event. Gibbs barely made it to some bushes before he lost his lunch.


	4. Chapter 4

**a/n - Hobbled back from painting the moon. They did cut the size down to 92 feet, mainly because the gym was only 86 feet across. That was still plenty big, believe me. In a week or so I'll meet up with them again after they do the final edges so I can add more details. They're going to take some overhead photos, because it's a weird perspective to paint something that big when you can't see the whole thing and there are no hard lines to work from. Thanks for all the reviews, it was a great treat when I got back last night.**

"Jimmy, can't you drive any faster." Abby started to hit his arm, but a familiar sight caught her eye as they pulled into the parking lot. "Look, there's Gibbs."

Palmer saw him but Ducky pointed out an empty space in the next row. "I see him, Abby, but let me park." They passed Gibbs as he was staring at the hospital and Jimmy pulled into the spot before another car could swing in. The driver of the other vehicle rolled down his window, but one look at Abby bouncing out of the Honda apparently changed his mind.

"Gibbs, Gibbs, Gibbs, how Timmy? Is he all right? Why are you out here? What happened to him?" Her words trailed off as he slowly turned to look at her, an unreadable expression on his face. "Gibbs?"

When Abby turned next to him, Ducky quickly stepped close to Gibbs. "Heavens, Jethro, he's not..."

"His neck is broken, Duck. I caused the accident and Tim... God, Ducky, how do I fix this?"

"Oh, Jethro," Ducky closed his eyes for a moment, knowing full well how horrific the results could be. "Is he still alive?"

"They put him in a coma."

Ducky seemed encouraged by that. "Are they giving him steroids?"

"Yeah, Tony said something about steroids. Is that important?"

"They are trying to limit further damage to his spinal cord by reducing the swelling that could cut off the blood flow to the nerves. That means, hopefully, that they feel there is some nerve function left to save." Ducky stopped talking when Abby burst into tears and instead he led her back to the open car door to sit down.

Gibbs turned to Jimmy. "I know." When he just got a confused look, the older man clarified it. "I know about Tony and Tim, that they're together, that they were hiding their relationship because of me."

Jimmy's eyes widened and then narrowed as he studied the man that usually terrified him. "You said you're the one that caused Tim's accident. Did you find out before or after you hurt him?"

"What? No, it was an accident, I swear. I take full responsibility for what happened, but I would never deliberately hurt either of them." Secretly, Gibbs was glad to see the anger, to see Jimmy ready to defend his friends. "You have my word, Palmer."

It was an odd group, once the four of them joined Tony and Ziva in the waiting room. Abby was totally silent, staring alternately at Tony and Gibbs, apparently in as much shock about the outing as she was the accident. Ducky stayed with them only a few minutes before he was able to join the team in the intensive care unit.

Feeling guilty and wanting to somehow help, Gibbs moved to sit next to Tony. "What about Tim's family, do you want us to call them?"

"No. They, umm..." Uncomfortable with the topic, Tony rubbed his hands against his thighs. "Do you remember right after that Petty Officer was caught smuggling cigars? Tim went home for the weekend?"

Gibbs did remember. McGee was bruised, limping and embarrassed when he returned to work on Monday. "He spent the weekend helping his dad clean the gutters and fell off the ladder."

"There was no ladder, no gutters. He came out to his parents that weekend."

"Are you saying that his father beat him because he's gay?" His gut clenched at the thought of one of his boys facing that and then being unable to come to him.

"His dad turned his back, said he no longer had a son."

"Then who?"

"His mom, and you know what a gentleman he is. He wouldn't defend himself against her. He came home and spent the rest of the weekend practicing what to say so you wouldn't figure it out."

"Damn it." Feeling worse the more he knew, Gibbs rubbed his face at a total loss for words.

Tony wasn't sure how to take Gibbs' silence. "I know we disappointed you, but please don't be angry with Tim. He's already lost so much because he fell in love with me."

"No, Tony." Gibbs reached up and squeezed Tony's neck. "The only person I'm disappointed with is myself. You two should not have had to hide because of me. Now that you have both Ziva and Jimmy here, I'm going to call Fornell."

"Boss, no, it was an accident. I know you didn't mean to hurt Tim, hell, you never even knew you hit him."

"Accident or not, I'm still responsible. There's an entire team of FBI agents looking for the hit and run driver and I'm the one that knocked him over that railing."

"That makes my job easier. I'm Agent Miller, with the incident reconstruction team." They all looked up at the sound of the unfamiliar voice. Blonde with ruddy skin, the agent was a man they'd never worked with. Gibbs stood and offered his hand.

"I'm Gibbs, the truck is out in the lot." Without waiting for a response, he walked to the doors.

-NCIS-

"Don't think I've ever seen you quiet for this long, Abs." After twenty minutes of silence, Tony had taken the bull by the horns. "You that pissed we didn't tell you and Gibbs?"

"You lied to us, Tony. You and McGee, both. How do you think I feel?" Ignoring Ziva and Palmer, she glared at him, arms crossed over her chest. "What do you want me to do?"

He shrugged as he looked over her shoulder at the blank wall. "I don't know, maybe act like you're worried about Tim, maybe try to understand that we're happy with each other."

When Abby's expression didn't soften, Ziva tried to reason with her. "McGee is one of your best friends, and Tony has been a friend for a long time. Is it not good that they have each other?"

Instead of getting through to her, Ziva's words just seemed to make Abby angrier at DiNozzo. "You don't love Tim, you can't and still chase all those women."

-NCIS-

It was all Gibbs could do to look at the marks on the bumper as Miller rushed to take his pictures in the fading light. After the last picture was snapped, Miller seemed satisfied. "The scratches on the truck match up with the evidence we found at the scene and your version of the events. I'll need to get an official statement from Agent DiNozzo and one from Agent McGee when he's able, but I don't foresee any problems with calling this a pure accident with no charges being filed. Will his family want a copy of the report?

"The team is his only family."

"Guess that makes you Dad." Gibbs winced at Miller's comment and the other man shook his head. "You want some advice, Gibbs? It was an accident, that's plain to see, don't waste your energy on feeling guilty. Your boy's got a long road ahead of him, concentrate on that."

When Gibbs finally nodded, Miller swung the camera onto his shoulder. "Have DiNozzo call when he's ready to make his statement, otherwise I'll catch up with him tomorrow afternoon. I'll need to tow the truck back, that all right?"

"As far as I'm concerned, you can take the damn thing out and burn it." Without waiting for an answer, Gibbs turned and went back inside, arriving just in time to hear Abby tear into Tony. He didn't give his Senior Agent time to answer. "Abby, when was the last time you actually saw him catch one of those women he was chasing? If I wasn't so damn worried about McGee, I'd be kicking myself for missing such obvious clues. Is there any word?"

"I see my arrival is well timed." Ducky's voice startled all of them, but Tony recovered the fastest.

"How is he, Ducky? It's been hours, can I see him?"

"Briefly, Tony. Even though he's been placed in a coma, we do want to limit any stimulation. You may have ten minutes with him and then starting in the morning, ten minutes every hour." Tony started to stand, but Ducky held his hand out to stop him as he continued to explain. "Before you see him... After looking at the results of the MRI, Dr. Elby and both agreed to be very aggressive in stabilizing Timothy's neck fracture to give him every chance at a recovery. I want you to prepare yourself."

"What exactly does that mean?"

"Dr. Elby is using a halo brace and traction on McGee."

A gasp caught Tony's attention and he turned to look at Abby as her worry finally overcame her anger. "That's the device they screw into the skull, isn't it?"

"Yes it is, my dear, but it is the most stable method there is to prevent any shifting of the bone fragment we found. He's in no pain at the moment, and the incision points will have healed enough by the time he's conscious that he will barely feel them."

Tony wanted to scream or throw something. "How long will he have to be in that?"

Ducky came over and sat next to him, resting a hand on Tony's knee. "We'll have a better idea on that when the swelling goes down. Once the danger of additional damage being caused to the spinal cord from the pressure, the traction will be removed. The halo, however, will probably be a rather long term accessory, eight to twelve weeks would be my guess, but it will be attached to a body brace. Now, come along, a short visit and then I'm sending you home."

"No, I can't leave."

Tony started to get up again, but a pair of surprisingly strong hands stopped him once again. "Unfortunately, Timothy's recovery will be neither quick nor easy. If you want to be there for him, then you're going to have to learn to pace yourself. He is in good hands, I will be using my staff privileges here at Bethesda to keep an eye on him and Dr. Elby is on call tonight.

"I have been giving the Director updates and he's sent a car, so you have your visit and then Jethro will drive you home. Your hourly visits will start at 08.00 tomorrow."

Knowing the battle was already lost, Tony nodded and followed Ducky to the elevator. Silently, Gibbs followed along, not knowing if he was welcome, but determined to keep going until someone kicked him out.


	5. Chapter 5

**a/n - I'm working on the last chapter now (chapter 8), so a chapter a day should be happening. There will be a sequel, picking up immediately after the ending. It will either be huge or divided into two stories, probably two, since there's a real break in that storyline. I do want to finish _Backfired_ first, my goal is to have it done by August for the "Finish that WIP" Challenge.**

Entering the ICU room, Tony gave a low moan at the sight of his life partner. The metal band screwed into Tim's head held his body taut with a series of pulleys and weights while various tubes went down his throat or disappeared under the blankets. Ducky wrapped an arm around Tony and led him to a chair.

"I know it is quite unsettling to see him like this, but all of this is a very positive sign, Anthony."

"Positive?" The sound Tony made was a cross between a laugh and a sob. "This sure doesn't look very positive."

"Do you know how rare it is to suffer a fracture like this and not lose significant function? The slightest wrong move during his rescue could have been fatal or left him paralyzed with no hope of improved function. This is minor in comparison to what he could be facing."

"If it works."

Ducky had to concede that one point. "Yes, if it works, but we must keep a positive attitude. It will work and he will have a significant gain in function."

Tony almost reminded him that compared to being in a coma and on a respirator, any improvement would be considered a significant gain, but looking over his shoulder at the expression on Gibbs' face kept him quiet. "Thanks, Ducky, you're right. Boss, it's all right, you can come in."

Gibbs moved closer, stopping about half way between the door and the bed. "You only have a few minutes with him, I didn't want to intrude."

"It's okay." Tony carefully threaded his hand through the equipment to rest on Tim's face. "You hear that, Tim? The Boss is worried about intruding. He can worry about that later when he catches us making out in a supply closet."

Edging closer, Gibbs laid a hand on the foot of the bed. "I think I owe you guys a pass."

"A one time pass from the Boss, we can't let that get away, can we Tim?" The arrival of a nurse told Tony that their time was running short. "They're not going to let me stay, but I'll be back first thing in the morning. I love you, Tim, and we're going to get through this."

There was no response and after a few minutes, Tony let himself be lead out of the room.

-NCIS-

Ziva, Jimmy and Abby ended up at a diner not too far from the hospital. After they ordered, Abby glared at her two dinner companions. "How long have the two of you known about them?"

Jimmy blushed as he played with his fork. "When Gibbs was in Mexico, I ran into an old friend that's gay. His date that evening was Tony, and well..."

_"Hey, Jimmy, long time no see." Light brown hair and a bookish look, Martin Hayes had not changes very much since they'd been freshmen undergrads together._

_"Marty, it has been a while, how have you been?" Jimmy shook the offered hand before being pulled into a hug. Over Marty's shoulder he recognized Tony DiNozzo as his suddenly uncomfortable dinner companion. Tony quickly gave a slight shake of his head as he stood and introduced himself as if they'd never met._

_Jimmy played along, making small talk with the two men until his date arrived. Excusing himself, he tried to subtly watch as he listened to his blind date prattle on. Half way through their dinner of overpriced, overcooked fish with a French name, Jimmy watched as Tony and Marty finished their own meal and Tony made some excuse as to why he couldn't continue the evening somewhere more private. Both men left, but Tony returned a few minutes later and retreated to the bar alone. _

_Having no interest in the personality quirks of his blind date's pet cats, Jimmy ended their evening as quickly as he politely could and joined Tony at the bar as soon as her cab left the restaurant._

_"Hey, Tony."_

_"Palmer." Tony waited until he ordered a drink, raising an eyebrow at the bright blue cocktail the bartender was mixing up for Jimmy. "Thanks for not telling Martin that we know each other."_

_"It's okay if you're not out yet, I was just surprised that you'd be interested in a guy like Marty."_

_Tony was clearly uncomfortable with the comment. "Yeah, well..." Jimmy continued on as if he hadn't heard the interruption._

_"I mean he reminds me so much of McGee. Well, actually I guess McGee reminds me of Marty since I met him first, but you know what I mean."_

_Suddenly nervous, Tony stared at his drink as he swirled it around. "I hadn't noticed."_

_"Really?_

_"Drop it Palmer, okay? McGee's straight, end of story."_

_Palmer nibbled at the pineapple slice that came with his drink. "It's too bad that McGee's straight, because he sure forgives you for just about anything."_

Story complete, Jimmy shrugged as he looked up at Abby. "It didn't last long between Tony and Marty. I'm not sure exactly when he and Tim got together, but he told me about them right before he was sent out as an Agent Afloat. He... he didn't want Tim to be here with no one around that he could talk to."

-NCIS-

Other than a few directions, it was a quiet ride back to the brick house Tim and Tony called home. Gibbs wasn't sure what he expected when he followed Tony up the walkway, but the interior was bright and cheerful with fresh paint on the walls and gleaming hardwood floors. It was the from the same era as Gibbs' home, but had obviously been renovated at some point. The traditional warren of small rooms was now an open concept with the living room, dining area and kitchen all open to each other.

Jethro had been sleeping on the covered back deck and bounded through the doggie door when he heard them arrive. Tony dropped down on one knee and hugged the dog, burying his face in the thick fur. "Hey, buddy, did you miss us? Daddy... Daddy's not going to home for a while."

The large Shepard pranced around, obviously looking for Tim, but was distracted when Tony fed him. Gibbs followed them into the kitchen, noting the bathroom and the laundry room down a short hallway. Aware of the subtle glances around their home, Tony talked as he poured the kibble into a bowl and refilled the water dish. "That door over there is to Tim's study."

Gibbs poked his head through the partially open door and looked around before stepping inside. Rich paneling and a deep colored Oriental rug gave the room the look of a traditional English library. The large antique desk and Victorian accents added to the mood. "I can see him in here working on a book."

Tony had a wistful look on his face when he joined Gibbs in the study. "We didn't have a legal wedding because there would have been records, but as far as we're concerned, we're married. Another thing we couldn't do was go on a honeymoon because how could we both take vacation at the same time? Instead, I built this room for Tim and he did the bonus room down in the basement for me."

The older man didn't know what to say. The more he saw told him how deep the relationship was, even more than just the length of time they'd been together. He nodded slowly. "You must be tired, I'll be here early to take you back to Bethesda, then I'll arrange to get your car over there."

The idea of being alone and without a car while Tim was in intensive care was unsettling. "It's late, Boss, why don't you just crash here? There's a guest room upstairs or the chair in the corner folds out into a twin bed. That way if Ducky calls tonight..."

Gibbs wanted to kick himself. Of course that would be a worry. "Sure, Tony, that's probably a good idea."

"Yeah, umm, I'm going to take a shower and try to get some sleep. Help yourself to anything in the kitchen. There's a pot of soup in the fridge, if you want to warm some up, and coffee's in the cupboard over the coffee maker." Tony didn't wait for an answer before disappearing up the stairs.

Alone in the kitchen, Gibbs wandered over to the refrigerator and checked out the leftovers. A hearty bean and vegetable soup was in a large pot that matched several more hanging over the stove. He didn't know either of his boys could cook, another clue of how much he'd missed. By the time he had the coffee pot going, the microwave beeped and he took the bowl of soup with him as he started to wander through the house.

Curiosity drove him downstairs first, to see the bonus room Tim had created for Tony. He caught himself laughing at the huge Tetris game mural that covered the side wall, the first thing he noticed as he walked through the door. The largest screen Gibbs had ever seen outside of a theater dominated the front wall and comfortable leather seats and floor pillows were ready and waiting for movie viewers. For those not interested in movies, the back of the large room held both a game table and a pool table, while the shelves on the back wall contained glass jars of every treat you'd ever find in a theater lobby. An alcove near the door was large enough to fit Tim's massive computer set up along with a second, smaller system he assumed belonged to Tony. The final touches were an old fashioned popcorn maker, ready to fire up with the opening credits and a small refrigerator tucked under the counter. Not surprisingly, Gibbs opened it to find it full of Tony's favorite beer.

Sitting in one of the overstuffed chairs, Gibbs had to smile, imagining the entire team down here after a long week. Still noting the personal touches, the older man enjoyed the soup. While the public areas upstairs had a definite neutrality about them, this space screamed Tony and Tim, right down to the sofa pillows made from both Ohio State and MIT t-shirts.

Gibbs finished the soup and returned upstairs to heat a second bowl. The shower was off and Gibbs took the food up to Tony. Knowing which direction he'd heard the water gave Gibbs a pretty good idea which bedroom was the master. The door wasn't latched and opened as he softly knocked. "Tony? You hungry? I brought up some of that soup for you. Ah, Tony."

The younger man, dressed in a pair of boxers, hair still damp, was asleep across the bed, clutching a pillow against his chest. Gibbs recognized the position, remembered how many times he woke up with his arms wrapped around Shannon's pillow, remembered how he was convinced even years later that he could still smell her shampoo on the pillowcase.

It was a grief filled memory he would not wish on any of his team, let alone be the cause. Helpless to fix it, he set the bowl on the nightstand before pulling the covers over Tony. With nothing else to do, he returned downstairs, poured himself a cup of coffee and settled in to wait.

-NCIS-

They were half way through their dinners before Abby turned to Ziva. "Okay, so when did you find out?"

Ziva sighed, knowing that the conversation could not be avoided. "When Director Shepard died, the night we returned from California Tony and I went out to a bar. We were both very upset and feeling extremely guilty for what had happened to Jenny. It was a bar we went to often and apparently as we became more and more intoxicated, the bartender made a phone call...

_"Hey, Tony, Ziva, you guys aren't planning on driving anywhere tonight, are you?" The bartender looked hesitant about serving them the next round._

_Tony looked at him and slammed the empty glass on the bar. "Hell, no, I need to be a whole lot drunker than this before I'm done."_

_Shrugging, the bartender took their keys and handed over another round. Two more rounds after that and the bartender finally cut them off._

_"Oh, come on, I can still feel my fingers."_

_"Sorry, man, you're going to start scaring the rest of the customers."_

_"It's okay, I'll get them home." Both Tony and Ziva turned around to find McGee standing in back of them. The bartender gave him a relieved grin and slipped him both sets of car keys. With an arm around each waist, Tim managed to get both of them out the door._

_Half way through the parking lot, Tony shook off the help and turned to stare at him. "You enjoying the show, McGee?"_

_Tim let Ziva lean against his car. "Tony, come on."_

_"Like seeing the great DiNozzo screw up?" Tony turned around in a wobbly circle, arms out. "Come on, take your best shot. Tell me how much I screwed up."_

_"Did you?" Tim had a very serious expression on his face. "Why'd you leave her without protection, Tony? What did you think was happening?"_

_Tony went from angry to devastated in under three seconds. "She ordered us to, Probie. I figured she was hooking up with some old boyfriend and the one thing I've learned is to never get mixed up in Jenny Shepard's personal life."_

_"Ah, hell, Tony."_

_"If I'd just followed her, she'd still be alive, Probie."_

_Seemingly forgetting about Ziva standing there. Tim grabbed Tony's face and pulled him close, until their foreheads were touching. "I could have lost you." He stiffened and stepped back in time to see Tony's face soften as he confessed. "I can't lose you."_

Ziva laughed and shook her head. "I think I was too drunk to really understand what I was seeing, but Tim sent me home in a cab and drove Tony home himself. The next morning, when I hadn't heard from Tony, I went to his apartment and picked the lock."

Abby couldn't deny her curiosity. "So, did you get to see some action?"

"They were still in bed, their legs tangled together. Tony was asleep, draped over McGee's chest, and McGee was just running his fingertips up and down Tony's back. I knew right then that Tony had finally found the home he has always craved."

"Wow."


	6. Chapter 6

**a/n - thanks all, for the wonderful reviews. You do make my day. I finished the last chapter in this story last night, but not the last of this universe. I'll be coming back to it after I finish Backfired. Two more chapters after this one, then this story will be done.**

"Morning, Boss." It was barely daybreak when Tony came downstairs. The empty bowl in his hand told that he'd wakened at some point during the night. "I just talked to Ducky, he said that Tim had an uneventful night."

"That's good." A night of thinking had done little to ease his feelings of guilt and Gibbs struggled to make small talk while Tony refilled Jethro's bowls. "The two of you have a nice house here. That's quite a set-up downstairs."

"Yeah." Tony ducked his head down as he blushed, much to Gibbs' surprise. "I was worried about how much money he spent on it, but he just smiled and said I was worth it. Can you believe it, me?"

"You are worth it, Tony. I'm glad he makes you feel that way."

"Really?" Tony had that shy smile that made him look so much younger than he really was.

Gibbs gave a slight shrug. "You guys have made it longer than most of my marriages, you must be doing something right."

"Thanks, Boss." Once Jethro was satisfied, Tony busied himself scrambling eggs and making toast.

"So you're the cook of the family?"

"It's about 60/40. I've been banished from most of the yard work after I accidentally mowed down all the tulips so I do more of the cooking." Tony faltered as he looked out at the immaculate gardens. "Guess I'm going to have to learn what grows and what gets mowed."

The typical, trite answer stuck in Gibbs' throat, so it was Tony that filled the silence. "Do you see that corner, over by the plum tree? Someday, we're going to build a deck and an arbor out there with climbing roses and we're going to have an official wedding with everyone that's important to us."

Gibbs squeezed Tony's shoulder. "I'm looking forward to it." Surprised, he found that he actually meant it.

-NCIS-

The two men arrived at the hospital much earlier than the start of visiting hours, so Tony went off to see if he could find Dr. Elby while Gibbs staked out a spot in the waiting room. Since the team was not scheduled for today, he know that they would be arriving at the hospital soon to support their injured teammate. The first arrival was not one he was expecting.

"Gibbs."

The team leader stiffened automatically. "Leon."

Director Vance handed over a cup of coffee before sitting down across from Gibbs. "I assume that DiNozzo is talking to the doctors?"

The casual comment started setting off an alarm in Gibbs' head and he turned his full attention to the other man. "Yeah, he's in with McGee's doctor. Ducky, too, I'd imagine. You've been getting updates from Ducky, right?

"Yes, I have and also a preliminary report on the accident from Agent Fornell."

"I take full responsibility for what happened to McGee, Director. Whatever action the agency determines necessary, I won't argue."

Vance didn't seem upset, in fact he he looked slightly amused. "I'll keep that in mind, but don't go falling on your sword just yet. Let's focus on getting McGee and DiNozzo through this first."

Blue eyes narrowed as Gibbs studied the other man. "I know Ducky wouldn't have said anything about that, you got somebody spying on my team, Leon?"

"Just because you didn't figure it out, Gibbs..."

"How long?"

"DiNozzo started sub-letting his apartment off and on right after McGee bought that house. Besides, both their names are on the deed. I've watched them, whatever their relationship is, they keep it off the job and since DiNozzo isn't involved with McGee's annual evaluations, I don't see a reason to break up my top team."

Gibbs gave a short nod as he bit back a laugh. Not only had he missed the clues, he'd been practically the last one to figure it out. Vance wasn't finished yet.

"Don't let your own guilt break up your team either. Now, all four of you have some comp time coming, I'm ordering the team to use it for the next few days. I want you to get your head screwed on straight." Vance stood and prepared to leave. "Tell DiNozzo that when he's ready, I've got a stack of cold cases I need him to go through. He can bring the files and a laptop here and work in McGee's room, maybe even get Tim's input when he's awake. That way he doesn't have to start using his leave time until McGee's ready to leave the hospital."

-NCIS-

Jason Elby gave his visitor a careful look. Tony looked somewhat rested, but his eyes were still haunted. "Come on, we can talk in Tim's room. That way you can sneak in an extra visit." As they walked, Dr. Elby asked the question foremost on his mind. "Are you comfortable with your supervisor being here? Under the circumstances I can get him barred from the hospital."

"No, it's okay. If anything, his feeling guilty has made him listen. We might all get through this, if Tim..." Tony's voice stumbled to a halt and he took a deep breath. "Positive thoughts, right?"

Elby nodded, but he wasn't convinced. "Your limp this morning is part of the reason I'm asking."

"Yeah, well," Tony rubbed his hand through his hair, slightly embarrassed. "Over six hours riding a bike, climbing down and back up that mountain, twice, and then another six hours in one of those damn waiting room chairs. I'm just a little sore."

"Okay, I can see that might be a problem." They reached the door to McGee's room and Elby opened the door to show Ducky checking Tim's vital signs. Tony stopped at the foot of the bed, searching for any signs of improvement.

"Tim gives the best massages, so it's usually not a... is he any better yet?"

"I'm afraid it's too early to tell." Jason gave the standard answer and left the good news for Ducky.

Ducky smiled as he moved closer to Tony. "The fact that he is no worse is a very positive one, Tony. He is still able to breathe on his own which tells us that there has been no additional swelling. Now come and give your young man a proper hello." Seeing that they were both in capable hands, Dr. Elby slipped out to check on his other patients.

Once they were alone, it took Tony several minutes to work up to his next question. "Ducky, you've been really quiet about all this, about Tim and me. Are you... do you have a problem with us being together?"

"Upset that two young men I'm very fond of have found a life together? Heavens, no. If anything, I'm a tad jealous. You live in an entirely different world than the one of my youth."

"Ducky? I thought you always regretted not going the wife and kids route."

The older man has a far-away look on his face. "Not having a child has always been my greatest regret, Anthony. Unfortunately, in my generation, having a wife was required to have a child, and that was one thing I could never bring myself to do. It's not happening overnight, but you and Timothy will have many more opportunities than I could have ever imagined. You just hang onto that while we wait for your young man to recover."

Tony was at a loss. He was pretty sure no one else at the agency was privy to what Ducky had just hinted at. "Ducky, I don't know what to say."

Ducky reached out and took his arm. "Don't feel sorry for me, despite what I may have missed, I am very happy with the life I do have. I do have one request, an indulgence for an old man who never got the chance, if you will. Don't hide yourselves away. Let those that care about you see just how much you love each other. All right?"

Impulsively Tony hugged him. "We will, I promise."

-NCIS-

The beginning of the staff's morning routine signaled the end of the extra visit Jason was able to give Tony and he reluctantly returned to waiting room, Ducky next to him. Ziva and Palmer were just arriving from the elevator, Abby right behind them. After updates and coffees were exchanged, Ziva pulled a large package out of her backpack. "This was going to be for your anniversary, but we thought you might like to have it now."

When Tony looked uncertain about opening an anniversary present without Tim, Jimmy encouraged him. "Tim would want you to have this now, and then you can share it with him when he's awake."

That was all the encouragement he needed and Tony ripped open the paper. "Oh, wow, guys, this is amazing." Reverently, Tony stroked his hand across the bound leather photo album with their names embossed on the cover before opening it.

Gibbs, Abby and Ducky all leaned close to see the pictures and, remembering the promise he'd made to Ducky, Tony starting talking about the first pictures.

"This is the cabin where Tim and I exchanged our vows. The first time we went there was right after he came out to his family. His parents disowned him and then Sarah didn't want to be caught in the middle so she left for London with her new boyfriend." Ducky hadn't been with them when he'd first told about the family's reaction and Tony heard him gasp. "Anyway, I found this little resort online, only five cabins, and took him out there on the next weekend we had off. The owners lost their only son in a bashing about ten years ago, so they really fussed over him.

"We'd go back whenever we'd get a chance, and then when we decided to have a commitment ceremony, it was the only place we considered." Tony turned the page to show the next group of photos, this time of the ceremony itself. He was silent, but the look on his face said it all as his fingers outlined the picture of Tim's face, caught in the moment as he draped the now familiar golden necklace over Tony's head.

Abby found herself tearing up. "You guys look really, really happy." It was a hard thing to admit, but she'd never seen her Timmy that happy and carefree as the photo had captured. She'd also never seen Tony so content as the moment he laid his own engraved charm against Tim's heart, captured in high quality detail. However it was the third photo in the grouping that took her breath away, one of the two men sitting on the steps of the cabin. Tony was sitting on the top step, Tim the next one down and leaning back into the body wrapped around him. Tim's arms were wrapped around Tony's knees as he turned and leaned back for a kiss, neither man aware of the picture being taken.

Ducky smiled as he watched both Gibbs and Abby take in every detail. "Abby is correct, Tony. You and Timothy look very happy, indeed."


	7. Chapter 7

Director Vance's assistant arrived with files and a laptop just as Tony was leaving the waiting room for another visit with Tim. Tony carefully kept quiet at the disgruntled look on Gibbs' face as the older man admitted that Vance had figured out the relationship ages ago. It wasn't until Tony was safely in the ICU room that he laughed. "Ah, Timmy, you're going to have quite a surprise when you wake up."

With now practiced ease, Tony carefully worked his hand through the tubes, wires and metal rods to rest against Tim's cheek. "We're out, Probie-wan. We may not have planned on it, but everyone knows. Heck, I think what's bugging Gibbs the most is the fact that Vance figured it out a long time ago." Tony gave a sad smile as his thumb stroked the soft skin. "No, what's tearing Gibbs apart is that he hurt you, and he's not going to forgive himself until he sees you chasing down a suspect again. I'll love you forever, no matter what, but he needs you to come out of this strong and healthy."

The time was almost up on his visit and Tony stretched to kiss the top of Tim's head, shuddering at the close up view that gave him of the metal screws that attached the halo to Tim's skull.

-NCIS-

Even as a little voice in the back of his head told him he was intruding, Gibbs couldn't help but casually flip through more pages of the photo album as it lay on the table in front of him. He started to straighten up when he knew it was time for Tony to return, but one picture caught his eye. Before he realized what he was doing, Gibbs had the album in his hands and grinning, turned to the arriving Tony. "How in the hell did you manage to shrink a turkey, DiNozzo?"

Barking out a laugh, Tony took the album before he sat down. "I've got a better question, how'd you guys get this picture? Tim took this one, did he give it to you?"

Jimmy looked uncomfortable as he slid down in his seat as Ziva confessed. "When my apartment was being painted, I downloaded the memory card from your camera onto my laptop."

That made Abby perk up. "Really? Were there any juicy pictures on it?"

"No, and I was very disappointed."

"Ladies, behave yourselves." Ducky's voice of reason brought the group back under control and Tony shook his head as he looked at the picture Tim had snapped of him their first Thanksgiving.

"This is from the first Thanksgiving after we committed to each other. I wanted to treat Tim to a full blown, traditional holiday dinner at our new dining room table. The team wasn't scheduled to work that day and we tried to come up with an excuse when Ducky invited all of us to his place."

Ducky remembered, too, and felt bad for bulldozing everyone into attending his dinner party. "I am so sorry, Tony. If I had known..."

"It's okay, Ducky. There was no way that you could have known and it was nice having a big family dinner with all of us together."

"You are right, the family get together was wonderful, and from now on, we will rotate, how does that sound?"

Jimmy looked back and forth between Ducky and Tony. "You mean one holiday at your house, Dr. Mallard, and the next at Tony and Tim's? That would be great, because they're really good cooks."

It all sounded wonderful, but Gibbs let out a whistle to pull them back in before they started exchanging recipes. "Yo, DiNozzo, the shrunken turkey?"

"Yeah, well," Tony settled in to tell his tale. "Tim was doing the shopping that day and since we were also eating at Ducky's, I told him to get the smallest bird they had at the store..."

_"Jethro, get away from the door and let him in." Tony shooed the prancing dog back from the door and opened it, quickly taking the large bag of dog food that was slipping out of Tim's fingers. Jethro immediately changed targets and followed Tony across the kitchen to the pantry where his food was kept. _

_"Thanks, Tony. Love you too, Jethro." Laughing at the fickle dog, Tim deposited the two grocery bags on the counter and started to unload them. "Not much fresh produce left, but I did get a bag of potatoes and some frozen vegetables."_

_"That's okay, were you able to find a..." Tony turned and burst out laughing. "What the hell is that?"_

_Tim struggled to keep a neutral expression on his face. "You said you wanted a little bird." Balanced on the palm of his hand was the tiniest Cornish Game Hen Tony had ever seen. It, and Tim's hand, was vibrating with his suppressed laughter._

_"You goofball, if it were any smaller we'd have to borrow some kid's Easy-Bake oven." Tony pulled him close and kissed him as he took the bird. "You'd better hurry up if you and Jethro are going to meet Abby at the park."_

_"Are you sure? I hate to leave you will all the cooking."_

_Tony gave him one more peck on the lips before pushing him towards the door. "And I'd hate to have Abby kill you and leave no forensic evidence before we get to celebrate our own private Thanksgiving." A plan had started to form in his mind the moment he saw the tiny hen and he quickly put it into play the moment he was alone in the house._

_"Hey, Ziva?" The phone was tucked between his cheek and shoulder as he carefully slivered the frozen carrots to match the size of the bird. "If I'm cutting a recipe to a fourth of the original size and it called for an eighth of a teaspoon, would I just use a pinch? Okay, thanks." He hung up without answering her questions and started to carefully stuff the cavity of the bird._

_By the time Tim called to say he was on his way back, dinner was almost ready. Tony wiped down the large turkey platter they'd found in an antique store in Connecticut and covered the surface with large Romaine leaves before circling the edge with herbs and sugar-dusted fruit. When he was done, it looked just like a picture from a magazine, ready for a perfectly prepared turkey. The familiar sounds of the Porsche pulling into the driveway stopped him and he moved to meet Tim at the door._

_"Hey, did you have a good time?"_

_"Jethro did, I'd much rather have been home with you." Tim leaned close, the dog sitting between them, and kissed Tony. "Let me take a quick shower and then I'm all yours." Halfway up the stairs he stopped and looked down at the table covered with a new tablecloth and set with their best china before smiling back at Tony. "Our first holiday dinner, I'll grab the camera."_

_While the shower was running, Tony checked Jethro's food and water before closing him in the laundry room. "Sorry, boy, too many temptations." All the side dishes were laid out on the table and the golden brown game hen was carefully placed in the center of the platter._

_Platter in hand, Tony waited until he heard Tim's footsteps coming down the stairs, then he presented the main course with a flourish. Purely by instinct, Tim snapped several pictures before he even realized what he was looking at. The camera was slowly lowered at Tim chuckled. "It's so cute."_

_"Isn't it?" Tony grinned as he set the platter down. "Pain in the ass to stuff, though, literally."_

_Tim leaned closer to look, the cubed bread had been finely crumbled and the vegetables chopped to an almost microscopic size to look in proportion to the small bird. Even the ingredients of the side dishes had been carefully prepared to match the size of the main dish. "So, was the gravy any easier to do in that size?"_

_The combined total lack of gravy making ability between the two men was a long standing joke, but at least Tony had an excuse. "With a whopping half spoonful of drippings? Nope, I used one of the cans you had in the pantry."_

_"Yeah, I really should have had Nana show me her gravy secrets before I came out to the family." Tim picked up the camera as Tony started carving the bird with the largest knife they had in the kitchen. "It's a good thing I know you're not compensating for something there, DiNozzo."_

_"Yeah?" Tony set the knife down and hand fed Tim a slice of the meat. "Well, if you're good, I'll let you double check that tonight." _

_Tim enjoyed the well seasoned meat before licking the offering fingers clean, smirking at Tony's low moan. "How good do you want me to be?" Ignoring the chair on his side of the table, Tim made himself at home on Tony's lap as they enjoyed feeding each other the meal._

"Anyways, we... yeah." Blushing, Tony shrugged before he admitted the rest. "We christened the dining room table that night."

Abby leaned closer to Ziva. "Are you sure there weren't any racy pictures? I mean they had the camera right there."

"I know, as I said, I was very disappointed."

*Whack*

_*_Whack*

Tony grinned as the women received head slaps, the first he'd ever seen for Abby. "That's a different camera ladies and no, we're not sharing."

Gibbs stepped in, ending that discussion. "Don't feel bad about the gravy, it took Shannon a while, too. Our first holiday meal..." He smiled and shook his head at the memory. "It was harder to cut the gravy than it was the turkey. Her mom told her to thin it down and we had every pot and pan in the place filled with gravy by the time it was thin enough to pour."

The rare peek into his one happy marriage stunned the group into silence, at least until Gibbs glanced over at Tony with a smirk. "Christened our dining room table that night, too."

Grinning, Tony turned the pages and began telling a different story, this time of the elaborate Christmas lights they put up to outshine an obnoxious neighbor.

It was one of the last photo in the album that got to Abby and she reached out to skim her finger along the edge. It had been taken the weekend Ziva's apartment was being painted. Tony was in cut-offs and Tim in a pair of faded basketball shorts as they gave Jethro a bath in the back yard. Ziva's picture caught Jethro in mid shake, drenching both men as they laughed. The light caught McGee's eyes just right, giving them a shine that reflected the absolute joy on his face. "You really make him happy, Tony."

He immediately turned serious. "I try Abs, I really try, and he makes me happier than I ever thought I could be."

"I'm sorry I was so mean before. Forgive me?"

"Of course." Tony held his arm out and Abby quickly scooted under it to lean against him. "Tim's going to need everybody's support while he's recovering."

-NCIS-

After the last visit of the night, Gibbs once again drove Tony home. The ride was as quiet as the night before, but this time it was a comfortable silence. Ziva and Palmer arrived, having detoured to pick up Tony's car, just as Tony was finishing taking care of Jethro. Jimmy took the dog for a run and pizza was ordered, but Gibbs declined the offer to stay for dinner.

"You haven't sanded anything in a couple of days, Boss, I understand. Thanks for staying last night."

At the end of the street, instead of turning towards his own neighborhood, Gibbs turned the other direction, back towards Bethesda. Less than two hours after he'd left, Gibbs was standing next to Tim's bed.

"Damn it, Tim, this shouldn't have happened." Remembering how Tony had done it, he slipped his hand in between the equipment to rest against the side of McGee's face. "You're a good man, McGee, one that any father should be proud to call son. You and Tony have built a pretty amazing life together, if my one moment of stupidity..."

Gibbs' voice broke and he stared up at the ceiling, blinking as he fought for control. Finally, nodding to himself, he moved so that he could lean closer to whisper in Tim's ear. "I'm sorry, son. That's not weakness, that's a fact. I'd do anything to take it back, to have realized just how far that damn bumper stuck out. We need you back healthy and strong, you don't have permission for anything less."

Satisfied, Gibbs rested his hand on Tim's head for a moment before quietly leaving the room.


	8. Chapter 8

**a/n - Here it is, the last chapter. Before you ask, I am planning on playing in this universe for a while but I'm going to finish up Backfired first which is actually pretty close to being done - at least the rough draft is finished. Yes, you can buy gravy canned or in a jar in the US. I've used it to stretch homemade gravy a few times when I've run short, it's not too bad.**

**I almost uploaded the wrong final chapter, that would have really confused everyone. Just finished a gen three shot called Apple of my Eye that will go up on my other profile later this week. It's a funny story, but really would have had you guys wondering what was going on g Give it a try while you're waiting for Backfired. **

"How's he doing?" Tony kept his voice low out of habit as he set his work on a table before joining Dr. Elby at Tim's bedside. The first thing he noticed was that the intubation equipment was gone. Jason finished his notes and turned to Tony with a smile.

"The pressure against his spine in at near normal levels, so we've stopped the drugs that were keeping him in the coma."

"What? When? How soon before he wakes up?"

"Easy, Tiger." Jason laid a hand on Tony's arm. "It will be this afternoon at the earliest, possibly not until tomorrow morning. However, it does mean that we're removing the time restrictions on your visits. Except for medical checks, you can be with him as much as you want."

Tony stared at him for a moment before a slow smile spread across his face. "Really, I can stay with him?"

"You sure can. A second visitor is fine for short visits also, so that motley crew of yours can each visit for a few minutes instead of hogging the waiting room all day." The grin told Tony that he wasn't really upset about the team taking over most of the lounge. "Now, hearing is probably the first thing that will return, so talk to him, let him know that he's not alone."

"Okay, yeah, I can do that. Will he be in pain?" Tony kept glancing down at the still form, already waiting for the fist signs of consciousness.

He'd been expecting the question. "Actually, as barbaric as it sounds, we hope he's in pain. That means the nerves are coming back on-line. The sooner he has feeling, the better his chances at a significant recovery."

"Guess that makes sense. I was just hoping that he'd wake up able to feel everything, but not have to suffer." Tony brushed the hair back off Tim's face as he carefully watched him.

Dr. Elby had gone through this with the loved ones of many patients. Unfortunately the painful and intense tingling and shooting pains were an expected side effect of such a severe jolt to the spine. "You've hit your funny bone on occasion, I'm sure. It's a similar response, just more intense."

"But instead of just his arm, it's his whole body? Can't you give him something for the pain?"

"After we've been able to do a full assessment of his remaining neurological function and make sure we haven't missed any other injuries, then we'll start him on a morphine drip. As far as we could determine, he only has bruises and a few cracked ribs in addition to the spinal fracture, but it's possible that we've missed a soft tissue injury that wouldn't show up in an x-ray."

"And if he has?"

Ducky's voice from the doorway caused both men to turn. "Let's not borrow trouble, Anthony. It's part of Dr. Elby's job to be cautious."

"Hey, Ducky. I know, I just..."

"You want him to wake up whole and healthy and walking the hallway by tonight. It's quite understandable." Joining Tony, he gave him a knowing smile.

"But it's not going to happen that way, is it?" Despite his professed understanding, an ember of hope still burned.

Ducky squeezed his arm in support. "Even the most positive outcome will take time and work, I'm afraid. Today's goal is for McGee to regain consciousness. The rest will come when his body is ready."

-NCIS-

"Hey, Abs." Tony looked up from the file he was reading to Tim as the Goth came in. She stood by the door, chewing her lower lip, unsure of her welcome after her earlier anger. Tony laid down the file and gave her a reassuring smile. "It's okay, Abby, you can come visit. He's probably getting tired of hearing my voice."

"I doubt that, Tony." Nevertheless, Abby inched closer to the bed and watched McGee. "Balboa's team is bringing in some evidence for me, so I get to visit first, before I have to go back to the Yard. Is he starting to wake up at all?"

"Not yet, but it's still pretty soon. Dr. Elby isn't expecting any signs for a few more hours at the earliest. He might hear you, though."

Abby nodded as she reached out and touched his head. "Hey, McGee, you really gave us all a scare. I mean, really, who falls off a mountain? You've got more hardware attached to you than if you were flying one of those jetpacks you love. Hey, you know what? After you wake up, I'm going to listen to your whole new power point presentation without complaining even once. Okay, maybe just once, but I'll listen to the whole thing. I'll even drag Gibbs down and make him listen with me."

Tony snorted at that last comment and Abby flashed him a grin. "I'm not promising that he'll understand all of it, but you scared him enough that he'll listen just to make you happy. And you are, aren't you? You and Tony are so happy together and I feel kinda stupid that I didn't figure it out, but the Sisters say that everything happens when it's supposed to. They also put in a good word for you, you know, upstairs, and that should help, because they have an in and all, since they're nuns and..."

"Abby, breathe."

"Okay, I'm breathing, see me breathing? I have to go back to the Yard now, but you'll give him a kiss for me when he wakes up?"

If Tony was having trouble keeping up with the rapid changes of topic and mood, he wasn't complaining. "Of course I will, Abs."

"With maybe a little bit of tongue?"

"Abby..."

"I'm just asking." She leaned over, trying to find a way to give McGee a kiss of her own, and finally settled for kissing the top of his head before clomping out of the room.

Tony laughed as he resumed his position close to Tim. "I gotta warn you, she and Ziva are determined to find pictures of us. You know, those kind of pictures." Even though McGee wasn't awake, he waggled his eyebrows to make his point.

-NCIS-

"Thought I'd find you here, how's McGee doing?"

Gibbs glared at Fornell over the rim of his coffee cup. "There's bringing him out of the coma today. Then they'll know how much... permanent damage there is."

"He's stronger than most people give him credit for, Gibbs. He'd have to be, otherwise this job would eat him alive." When he didn't get much of a response, Fornell cut straight to the point, dropping a copy of the report in front of Gibbs. "You'll be glad to know that it's been ruled an accident, caused by an unfamiliarity with the equipment. Vance signed off on it this morning, you're in the clear."

The other man barely acknowledged Fornell as he stared down the hallway at the closed door to McGee's hospital room. Understanding the focus of Gibbs' thought, Fornell wasn't offended. "Take care of your boy, I'm looking forward to seeing him back out in the field someday."

Once Fornell was gone, Gibbs pulled out his phone and studied the pictures he'd taken in the DiNozzo-McGee back yard as he began sketching out plans for a deck and rose arbor, large enough for a wedding.

-NCIS-

"Here, Tony, I brought you some dinner." Ziva set the bag on the bedside table and stepped closer to the bed. "McGee, if you wake up soon enough, you can talk Tony out of some of his food. I made sure it was something you both would like. Very soon you will be home with your husband and we will all spoil you. I will fill your freezer with meals so that Tony does not have to worry about cooking and then when you have recovered you can fix some of your wonderful ribs and Tony can make his potato salad. Wait until Gibbs learns he is not the only grillmaster of the team. Does that not sound good?"

Tony was nodding along with her. "A cook-out for the entire gang and then a night down in the bonus room. That sounds really good, doesn't it?"

"I am looking forward to it." Ziva reached across the bed and took Tony's hand. "No more living in secret, that is the one good thing that has come out of this and we will all help while McGee recovers. Now, I will go spend some time with Jethro so he does not feel neglected."

"Thanks, Ziva." His eyes narrowed as he thought about her alone in their house. "No looking around for that other camera."

Ziva smiled and walked to the door before she answered. "Now, would I do something like that?"

-NCIS-

It was well after dark and Tony was running out of words when he saw the first flutter of Tim's eyelids. "Tim? Tim, can you hear me?" He stood to get as close as he possibly could, bending to look him directly in the eye. "That's it, you've been sleeping long enough, it's time to wake up."

"T'ny?

So intent on the slowly opening eyes, Tony forgot he was holding Tim's hand until he felt the increasing pressure. "That's it, Tim, can you feel that?"

"H'rts."

"It hurts? Where, tell me where."

"All... all ov'r."

Tony could feel that small ember of hope growing. "What about your legs, do your legs hurt?"

"Uh-uh."

Anything else Tony wanted to say was interrupted by the arrival of Dr. Elby, Ducky and half the nurses on duty. He knew they would make him step out, but once he found himself on the other side of the closed door, he struggled to turn and walk to the waiting room.

Gibbs was the only one of the team left for the night and he dropped his magazine as Tony came down the hall, a stunned look on his face. Three steps and he met him at the doorway. "Tony, what is it, what happened?"

"Boss?" the stress of the last few days hit and Tony started shaking.

"I've got you, Tony, tell me."

"He squeezed my hand, Boss, and..." Tony looked up at him and a joyous smile spread across his face. "His legs hurt, he can feel his legs."

The realization and relief hit Gibbs. "Thank God, oh, thank God."

One week later:

The scent of Moroccan spices filled the air as Ziva stirred the large pan, while Abby carefully chopped onions. "How much are we fixing, Ziva? My eyes are really starting to water."

"One more onion should do it, Abby. That will give us five dishes to freeze for them. On our next day off, we will help Ducky with the food he is preparing. Between all of us, there should be a month's worth of food for when McGee comes home from the rehab center."

In a quiet neighborhood of DC, Gibbs parked his truck in front of a well maintained brick home. Palmer quickly scrambled out, grateful to be on solid ground. He covered his eagerness by grabbing one of the rosebushes from the back of the truck.

Gibbs grinned, but didn't call him on it. "Set the roses in the shade, we'll need to build the arbor and set the deck posts before we can plant them."

Jason Elby paused at the door, watching his favorite patient. Two days ago the traction had been replaced with the body brace, much to Tony's delight. Now that their team had fully accepted the relationship, he never missed an opportunity to sneak a kiss with injured man and the brace was much easier to work around than the pulley and weights had been. Jason cleared his throat, grinning at how far Tony jumped.

"Funny, Jason."

"Well, guys, the last scan looks really good and I think it's time to move you."

"Rehab? Really?" Tim knew it was the first step in regaining his independence, the first step towards going home.

"Yeah, really. I've already got you set up with a physical therapist that I think you'll be very comfortable with."

Apparently that was the cue, because another man entered the room, closing the door behind him. Elby reached out his hand, interlocking their fingers for just a moment. "Tony, Tim, this is Scott."

Tony remembered back to that first day in the emergency room and smiled as he shook Scott's hand. "It's nice to finally meet you, Scott."

"Likewise, I've heard a lot about both of you." Scott moved closer to Tim's bed. "Tim, we've got a lot of work ahead of us, but I think you've got a good chance at being one of those rare patients that beats the odds. You ready to give it a go?"

It was a struggle and took all of his concentration, but Tim raised his hand to shake Scott's. "Yeah, I really am."

"Then let's get to work."

The End, for now.


End file.
